McLays in Europe

Arriving at Berkhamsted station we were met by Alison's cousin John who had moved to London almost 30 years ago. We had last seen John in Melbourne when we were all packed up to shift to Alice Springs in 1985 when he was home for a visit. John and his partner Alison have a new baby Robert who is very cute.
The first day we took it easy and in the afternoon we went into the nearby town of Chesham for a look around the local area. We walked to the old church and along the historic church street.
As there was still plenty to see in London we headed of the following day with our sights set on Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. The gods were smiling and it was the sunny day we had hoped for, cold but the cold is ok, just throw another jacket on. When we reached the station we decided to catch a bus rather than the underground so we could see more of the sights. After being nabbed for 80p to save the children (or more like save the Gypsy) we boarded the bus for the Towers. There were all of the attractions we had only heard about. "Oh look Alison cried! Trafalgar Square" Snap snap. Tower bridge grew closer and before we knew it we were walking on it and enjoying the history of its construction amid controversy in the community at that time. It must have been spectacular in those days with the steam driven equipment to raise the bridge. Of course now it has all been modernised to electricity.
The Tower of London was next and quickly we joined a tour. A Beefeater guide was telling yarns 'Any Australians around here?' Surprisingly quite a few put their hands up and then he pointed to the gaol section and said 'Welcome home'. He took us around the site and explained a lot of the history and tried to scare some of the young kids with gruesome stories of beheadings. We visited the Tower where Royals and others were held until either they were freed or beheaded and saw the Crown Jewels. We also visited the chapel. He informed us that servicemen who have worked for at least 22 years in the armed forces can apply to be Beefeaters and that they have recently employed the first female. They live on site with their families and are allowed to use the chapel for things such as christenings or weddings. The jewels were spectacular and in one section you stand on a conveyer belt as it takes you past cabinets full of crowns etc.
We had an arranged meeting with a collegue friend of Alison and so took off to Liverpool station to meet in front of Starbucks. Walking around this place made Ian feel like he was on a monopoly board. However by 10 past 6 we wondered if we had it right. As it turns out Sally & Andrew were standing at another Starbucks which are everywhere. We contacted by mobile and soon met. We followed them to Brick Row, the place of Indian restaurants and Sally negotiated with a representative of one for free half pint of beer each and pappadoms. So in we went and sat down to chat over supper.
Alison and Sally had worked together in the Territory and so had much to catch up on and Ian was happy to meet someone finally who could say more than 5 words about the AFL. Sally and Andrew have been living in London for around 6 months. In fact Andrew was a sport fanatic and both he and Ian got on well. Andrew followed the Tigers but had much to say about the greatest team of all - Geelong!.
Getting back to John & Alison's place was a cold journey by train and then cab but they were up when we got there rocking their beautiful little baby son and so we sat and chatted for a while before retiring to bed.
Next day was another sleep in (well we are on holidays!) and then we went to Berkhampton for the afternoon. We visited the ruins of a castle of William the Conqueror and walked along the canels dropping in at some pubs for a meal and a drink. It was sunny but very cold with the frost staying on the grass all day in parts where the sun did not reach.
Next day we walked into Chesham and shopped for some meat and vegies so that we could cook a roast for supper. John was out tonight at Morris Dance practice - a form of traditional folk dance of England. Tomorrow we head off from England and catch plane to Madrid where we will pick up our Trafalgar Tour through Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

We left Great Yarmouth with assistance from Ken & Judy who kindly dropped us of at Norwich railway station. Stepping off at Waterloo Station before catching final leg to Surbiton found us heading into a Thai Cafe for a feed of noodles. This cold weather makes you hungry! (says Ian all the time). We were not so sure of the French Mussels which had been promised by our exchange hosts. Neither of us liked the sound of them and we had already managed to avoid snails whilst in Paris. Just as the plate of noodles arrived, the mobile rang. "We are back early from France and remember you are expected for supper." Well our fate with French Mussels was set, so off we headed to find the correct train. The London rail network was much more complex than any we had encountered to date. Geoff was at the station to meet us and taxied us to his home where we were greeted by his wife Mia. The house was a large Tudor style house with a surprisingly modern ground floor. It had recently been flooded from a broken water pipe nearby and renovations were just completed. Mia was of Italian decent and such a friendly and warm person we felt immediately at home.
After sitting down at the table, a large dish of French Mussels appeared before each of us. There were bottles of wine to help with the digestion process but nonetheless we were very hesitant. The mussels were actually quite delicious and Geoff showed how to suck out the inside and then chuck the empty shells in a large bowl placed in the middle of the table. The discussion soon moved to politics and national problems shared by both countries. Geoff and Mia had been self made people and knew the value of working hard. Geoff although now retired had managed an international scaffolding company and Mia had worked as an interpreter. They had both been members of the local council. Mia had also held a political seat some years ago and was keen to discuss politics at every chance. All of this added to a great evening. Geoff had also been a Rugby player representing his country and travelled to South Africa when there was the aparthied controversy. They have a daughter living in Sydney and therefore knew quite a bit about Australia and were very keen to exchange with us so they could visit Ayers Rock later next year.
Next day we were dropped at the nearby station and travelled to Westminster in London to see the sights. The weather was pretty awful with rain and the accompanying umbrellas spoiled our view of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We visited Westminster Cathedral and travelled up the lift to the viewing platform for a cold glimpse of the London skyline. We then visited Westminster Abbey where we stayed for Evensong service which was a great experience (apart from a really annoying little man who was seating everyone and calling out across the Abbey 'excuse me, you must sit together, no gaps!'). The Abbey is a magnificent structure and with a beautiful choir and organ music, it was something else. Our visit coincided with the birthday of Mary Queen of Scots who is buried in the Abbey. It was dark when we left the Abbey and we headed for the Churchill Museum, where true to our form we got kicked out at closing time. It is situated below ground in the War Cabinet Rooms where the British response to the Second World War had taken place. We then set out to find 10 Downing Street to see Mr Brown (but he didn't answer our knock!) Mind you Mr Brown is getting his share of knocks in the press at the moment. We finished our day in London with a West End Show in the Dominion Theatre, 'We Will Rock You' which was terrific. We had only bought our tickets that morning and had to sit apart but we didn't mind as it was quite cheap compared to other options. We caught the last train home and there was Mia waiting up like a worried mother. She greeted us with a hot cuppa and for Ian two warm mince pies. (Alison hates them).
Next day was Sunday and Geoff and Mia had a working bee at their allotment to build a shed. They were very keen to have their allotment to enable them to grow fresh vegies for the family. We were invited to lunch with their friends and relatives after the working bee but managed to escape the work and went to Hampton Court to see the palace that Henry V111 made famous which was within walking distance from the house. Many of the staff were in period dress and the guides acted in character. Henry was 6' 2" and apparently the envy of Europe in his younger days but as time went on he grew wider and no wonder with what he ate - apparently 75% meat diet. But you have to hand it to Henry; he befriended the Lord who originally developed Hampton Court and then gave him the choice of either giving Henry the palace or his head. He gave him the palace and then eventually his head, although the head was given reluctantly!
The Tudor kitchens were incredible and Alison enjoyed finding out about all of the food processes back then. Ian was a little bored with this, as he is more interested in eating food (he should learn from Henry what can happen if you eat too much) and as it was freezing found comfort standing next to the large roaring fire. This fire turned out to be of great interest too as it was where they cooked large spits of meat to feed the courtiers, and in such volumes Ian became ill thinking about it. Whenever Henry travelled he had 600 courtiers with him, and they all needed to be fed.
We found our way back to the house just in time for the start of lunch where we sat around a large dining table with about a dozen friends and relatives. Geoff, a rather gregarious character at times, shouted 'Mia put one Australian at each end of the table'. A beautiful lunch was served with good quality wine and the conversation drifted between British current affairs and Australian life and times. "Our prisons are too full, oh well why don't we send a few more over to Aus??" Ha Ha. "The immigrants are taking over this country!" "How far is Ayers Rock from Alice Springs?" " Who is this Rudd bloke?"
Alison was surrounded by blokes; Geoff, the Managing Director of a company that provided sleepers for the Alice to Darwin rail and an International Banker who had lived all over the world. Ian sat next to the banker's wife and Mia's sister who was a hostess with British Airlines in her younger days and used to have stopovers in Darwin before Cyclone Tracy.
4.30 came around too quickly and we had to leave. Stay another night says Geoff half filling our glasses again with wine but we finally broke away and hitched a ride with some other guests. We were off to our next stop - Chartridge in Buckinghamshire.

The following day was voted as a lay day before setting off on Saturday to drive to Liverpool to meet and stay with Alison's distant cousin Margaret, with whom she had been a pen friend in her teens. Liverpool was North West and on the other side of England. As the crow flies it was only equivalent to Alice Springs to Wycliffe Well but took longer due to the traffic and the bloody roundabouts as Ian so colorfully refers to them. We arrived at Liverpool mid afternoon and met Margaret, husband Bryn and 14 year old daughter Eleanor. After a cuppa, we were taken for a driving tour of the city centre. We visited the magnificent Liverpool Cathedral and had a couple of drinks in a local pub. Margaret had kindly invited another cousin Anne for dinner. We had a lot of fun after dinner reading the letters Alison had received from Margaret in the 1970's which included a real 'english bus ticket' that correctly predicted she was going to marry someone starting with the initial 'M'. Eleanor was particularly interested to read her mother's letters.
Next day we went for a walk around the nearby lake and park land. The areas were nicely grassed and so perfectly green. It was very wet and blustery so we were pleased to go inside the large glass palm house. That afternoon we went to the Philharmonic Hall to see a silent movie which was setup the same as the olden days with a pianist who added the dramatic sounds at the right time and gave the movies such impact. This was a real treat and was really enjoyable. Of course some of the shorts included Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy.
That night we went by London Taxi to a restaurant for dinner. Next morning we enjoyed a farewell breakfast and headed off to Coventry via Penny Lane. It was great to meet Margaret and family and they were very generous hosts. I don't think we succeeded in persuading them to visit us in Oz.
Coventry was a place Ian wanted to see mainly because he has been following the war history over here and Coventry is a sister city to Dresden in Germany; both were flattened during WW II. Coventry was the first English city to introduce the Park and Drive system and again we took advantage of it. On arrival in town, a visit to the tourist centre suggested the town highlights, which included the statue of Lady Godiva, the shell of the bombed cathedral with the new one built beside and a motor display with much history on war years. A fire alarm malfunction in the museum worried us a little, as it sounded too much like an air raid siren, and interrupted our viewing for a short while. Coventry was a motor vehicle producer, for example produced millions of mini minors over the years of their production and during the war years had altered its production to war supplies, therefore its target for the Germans. Then back to our car and headed for Cambridge.
We were within 20 miles of Cambridge and Ian had had enough of night driving, so at a place called Kettering we asked the GPS to find us a place to stay. It listed one called The Country House Hotel which Alison liked the sound of, and away we went again through little back roads. When we were ready to give up, surely there wasn't a Hotel out here!, the GPS said "arriving at destination". We looked over and there was a lovely old hotel set back against the trees. We ventured inside. At first they didn't have a room, but but then a light came on the womans face and she had one for us. It was old english style and simply beautiful. She must not have wanted to turn more business away and offered us the honeymoon suite! We ate dinner in the dining room and were then moved out to a lounge with recliners to enjoy a drink or two. They came and talked to us about their experience with running the Hotel,which was really just a bigger version of a B&B. Next morning another cooked breakfast. To this day they will remain puzzled how a couple of aussie travellers found them out there as they said they did not know how the GPS knew of them.
After leaving earlier than Ian wished on advice from the owner re avoiding traffic, it was not long until we reached the outskirts of Cambridge and again the Park and Ride option was taken. On arrival at the city centre we then took the tourist bus around the city highlights. This is a beautiful city, and the tour explained its rich academic history. We lunched again in a pub and visited the Round Church which had an interesting display on christian heritage. We visited Kings College Chapel but Alison could not talk Ian into staying until 5.30 to see the famous choir perform. The grounds and public areas were so well laid out.
Getting back to our car via bus was an experience, because this was around 5pm and hundreds were queuing, but the buses were all double decker and were able to move the people relatively easily. We could only imagine what it would be like if everyone brought their cars into the city. Students are not allowed to have cars and the place is full of bicycles. We think there must have been interviews for prospective students happening as there were a lot of young men dressed in suits accompanying their parents who were not so well dressed.
We were home in 1 1/2 hours, although Ian did not enjoy the drive. Traffic was very heavy back to Norwich and we appreciate our quick trip to work each day in Alice Springs.
Next day was a day of rest. We have had a late offer of a hospitality exchange in inner London so have decided to leave Great Yarmouth a few days early to spend a couple of days in London before heading off to stay with another of Alison's cousins. So tomorrow Thursday will be spent cleaning house and car for the next visitors to Great Yarmouth.

On Monday we headed off to Gayton near Kings Lynn to meet some cousins of Alison's step-father John. Kings Lynn was where John was born and lived there before immigrating to Australia all those years ago. We stopped initially at a technical display near Swaffam which featured the large solar windmills which are receiving much discussion in England at present as they are reasonably effective in generating energy using the wind but driving down property values in the regions they are built. Property values here are big business and the papers are full of daily predictions on interest rates, USA mortgage crisis etc etc. Now we know where the Aussies got their property mania from.
Arriving at Kings Lynn the weather was not conducive to being outside and the wind off the river was bitterly cold. Most tourist places were shut on Monday so that put a damper on things. After following an historic walking tour around the town centre we found one museum that was open which depicted the life and times of Kings Lynn.
Kings Lynn was a very traditional English town and the old church and city centre buildings were in the main being kept or restored back to original. The streets all nicely paved and an air of Christmas creeping in. It was a great experience to have cold weather at this time of the year and think of being inside and cosy when sitting down to the roast on Christmas Day.
After dark, we headed off to meet the relations and thanks to the GPS arrived right on time(this was not NT time anymore, when people here say 6pm they mean 6pm). The village was small and quaint and the two cousins eagerly awaited our arrival. As we slowed and went past the house we thought to be the one, Ian saw a couple of grey heads pop up in the lounge so we backed up to be directed into the drive by Lou. Ian put down the window and said "expecting a couple of Aussies are you mate?" and Lou replied "yes, is that our Alison sitting there?" And so we were here.
The house was old but as neat as a pin , the garden very neat and tidy as well. We went into a very warm lounge room and became acquainted. Then a hot cuppa and sandwich and pork pie followed by cream sponge. We really enjoyed chatting with Lou and Pam and stayed for three hours. We both came away with the feeling that we had just been chatting with Mum and Dad.
We had demonstrated the GPS to Lou & Pam and they were interested to hear it direct us off from their place to find our B and B, Oyster House. It was very dark by this stage and the GPS lead us through country roads as it took the most direct route. We were really out in the country, driving down narrow paths between hedges left and right. Due to staying for tea with Pam and Lou, we arrived over an hour late but the lady was still up and showed us our room. Next morning we sat up to a full English breakfast and chatted with the person from the next room who was a 28 year old accountant from London who had come to stay for a week to undertake an intensive driving course. He had decided at this age to get his licence to break the mould of many Londoners who have no need of a car!
We headed off for a glimse of Sandringham House where the royal family usually spend Xmas before travelling back to Kings Lynn for some more sightseeing and then returned home in time for Alison's appointment with the hairdresser the next day. When she made the appointment they insisted they could not put colour in until they had done a skin test, so she had to go in for a consultation the week prior. Interestingly they never even asked if there were any problems when she returned or looked at the skin test! Later that afternoon, we went into the turning on of the Xmas lights in Great Yarmouth but it was a bit disappointing. Lots of people but not many lights and the concert was not on a stage so couldn't see a thing - so went to try another pub instead.
The following day we did some more local sightseeing visiting the Medieval Town Wall (well preserved) and visited Great Yarmouth Potteries which is situated in an old smokehouse made from recycled ships timbers. The owner and artist was great to talk to. He was from a family of fishermen and had lived in the old row houses and had many old relics. Shame it was winter as in summer they have evenings in their cafe to which they invite old fishermen and have some great nights by the sound of things.

The moment we hit the Norwich airport we felt comfortable. As Ian handed his passport to the man he said in a very welcoming voice 'why you comin' to this bloody cold country mate?' and Ian replied to 'get out of a bloody hot one!'. They shared a giggle and soon we were picked up by our exchange partner's friends Ken & Judy. They are also home exchangers and knew how we felt and what our needs were. They drove us to the home and we shared a friendly chat - in English!
The owners of this house are currently in ours in Alice Springs and also have use of our car. So if anyone from Alice Springs has seen our car and thought we might have sold it, no; it is Michael and Janet, so please wave to them and smile.
It was great to be driving down the left hand side of the road again and didn't take long to feel right after several weeks of feeling wrong on the right hand side of the road. This was our first house exchange where a car was included so Ian was pleased that driving would be rather back to normal.
The house is two stories with three bedroom, typical English style house with a small tidy backyard.
First two days we did very little, just stayed home and went to the local supermarket to stock up on food and the rest of the time kept warm inside watching cable TV and reading newspapers, after all this was meant to be a holiday!
Next day we decided to discover Great Yarmouth, so we drove to the beach area and sought some advice from the Tourist Bureau. They put us onto a couple of good local museums and we went to one that had the historical background to Lord Nelson, the bravest sailor in British history, which coincidently was also covered on the History Channel on Cable TV that night, so we had a double dose. We had a walk down to the market and had some world famous chips and were a bit surprised it was getting dark at 4pm and soon after 4.30 was pitch black. So our day's plans were cut short and we decided to get up earlier the next day.
Day four came, and early to rise we drove down the coast to Essex to visit 'Constable Walk' which is the area landscape painter John Constable used for many of his paintings. This day involved a bit of driving and although the GPS was handy we were getting a little tired of the lady voice saying 'please drive one mile and then enter a roundabout and take the second exit' - Ian thought Alice Springs was becoming the city of roundabouts but this place is full of them. After a drizzly day, the sun came out just as we got there and we enjoyed the walk which was based around Flatford Mill which was owned by the painter's father from 1776 - 1837. We returned to Great Yarmouth in time to eat and then see Elizabeth, the movie about Queen Elizabeth 1, staring a couple of famous aussies, Kate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush.
Next day we went into Norwich (a major city about 21 miles away)and discovered that they have a great public scheme called 'park and ride' where you park the car at a terminal outside the city and catch a bus in and out. There were several terminals around the city and it only cost £3 for the day. The bus dropped us at Norwich Castle and due to extremely cold and windy conditions that is were we stayed with plenty to keep us occupied for the rest of the day. We were the only participants on a guided tour called Battlements, where the guide took us up on the top and explained the history of the Castle back to the Romans and some relevant WWII stuff, which we are both enjoying learning about. Later joined a Dungeon tour that included a true story of a man who luckily escaped the prison by seeking deportation to this place called Australia and who became quite successful in old Sydney town. It was so brutal in these days,and we were demonstrated torture methods for outspoken women or those that had disobeyed their husbands! We came to believe that if nothing else anyone who got through the British Penal system and then survived the ship ride to Australia must have been made of iron.
Another day in Great Yarmouth we visited a museum, called 'Time and Tide' which was built in an old Herring processing building. It depicted the life in Great Yarmouth through the years, including their way of life and type of houses called Row Houses. It was very well done and the displays were lifelike and supported by audio. The Herring industry was the backbone of Great Yarmouth and the displays of the hard life was unbelievable. Some parts still smelt like fish so this added to the atmosphere. We were very interested in the war section of the museum, which we came to last and again were asked to leave before we could get all the way through it. The place was closing at 4.30pm and looking outside it was dark again!
We decided to visit a local English pub on the next corner, just to see how the other half live. The White Lion turned out to be the oldest pub in Great Yarmouth, mind you it looked like it. It was small and quaint and run by a Scottish woman who had such a broad accent we had trouble following her. Only a dozen in the bar, and as we had a pint we had a pleasant chat with a few. They discussed the Australian soaps Neighbours and Home and Away. The Scottish woman said ' no way I would go to Australia it is full of spiders & snakes'. It seems they get this idea from watching shows on TV.
As we were leaving, a quiet bloke in the corner ( who obviously wanted to bring these Aussies down a peg or two) looked up and smiled with a mouth full of rotten teeth and said 'I come from Wombat near Adelaide'. We both looked at each other blank 'We don't know that place'. Then he fell foul of Alison by saying 'yeah it has lots of crocs there' The count went Aussies 1 and Poms zero , when Alison commented 'you are talking bullshit' and the bar erupted in laughter and a few blokes congratulated Alison for turning the tide on this bloke.
Then it was Sunday. After a sleep in we headed out of Great Yarmouth not really knowing where we were going. Some 10 miles down the road into the old English countryside we were enticed into a Pub for a Sunday Roast which we thoroughly enjoyed along with dessert - Alison could not resist the rhubarb crumble.
The English have just sacked their National soccer team coach after they failed to qualify for the European Competition, and when they heard he received a contract cancellation payment of £2.5M they have been spitting chips. Ian has spent much time reading up on this and can't believe how abusive the English press are, calling him names in the press that in Australia would not be allowed. Therefore, no one wants to talk football at present, so maybe they might like to talk about the cricket! Not so Ian has found, especially with an Australian. Ha Ha if only he could find someone to brag about the cats to.

The first we saw of Paris was flying over it about 9pm. The lights of Paris were everywhere beneath us as this is a huge city. Two million live in the city centre and another 8 million in the surrounding area. Alison was sitting by the window and Ian joking asked if she could see the Eiffel Tower! On closer inspection it stood out like a beacon, just a magnificent sight from 30,000 feet.

Landing at Charles De Gaul airport we followed the rest out of the plane and this airport was another 'monster'. We were carried by long elevators through rendered brick tunnels and then through cylindrical glass tunnels to the baggage area. Unsure where we stood with the train strike we collected our bags and then asked the information desk the best way to get to our room. Taxi she said, so 50 euros later we were at our hotel! The traffic was unbelievable with cars going in all directions cutting across roundabouts etc. Our hotel resembled the one we had in Munich, another one person at a time lift and almost as tiny a room. But the bed was good and we had breakfast included and free internet!

Next morning we were ready to go and set off after a great breakfast to find the Eiffel Tower. Almost outside our door was the entry to the Metro Rail system but they were still on strike so we headed off along the river towards the tower. Walking along the river was good, we slowly experienced the tower coming towards us whilst taking in a number of different sights of Paris. The number of barges that were moored there and offering retail outlets or restaurant services was interesting. Also the number of high rise residential buildings.
After around 1 1/2 hours of walking we arrived at the tower. It is an unbelievable sight. Awesome you might say! There were long queues here especially for the elevator ride up the tower, so we decided to take the shorter queue to climb the stairs. Only went to the first level as that was scary enough. We enjoyed a diet coke there that cost us €5! The security at the site was high with army personnel patrolling and warnings in the toilets about pick pockets and notices about it being forbidden to give tips to the toilet attendants. We did notice a number of beggars at the doors of the toilets and others approaching people for money. After climbing down from the tower we took a tourist bus which drove around for 2 hours to all of the main sites. We sat up on top to get a better view but it was freezing and Ian was shaking by the time he got down as he did not have any thermals on and had given his scarf away to Hartmut. We then finished the day with a 1 hour cruise down the Seine just as it was getting dark so had a good look at the sights with lights followed by another long walk back to the hotel.

The next day was made very difficult by the train strike but that night we were booked to see the Moulin Rouge (at great expense) which was unfortunately on the other side of the city! We rested in the morning and decided to walk to save the taxi fare and it took us around 2 1/2 hours to do this. We got caught in crowds of people all looking at Xmas windows and lights in one of the big department stores. As time began to run out, Alison was very keen to push on and find the building then relax for a while until it opened at 6.45. Ian was unfortunately in need of a toilette but also wanted to know where it was. As we finally rounded a corner there was the sight of the Moulin Rouge and its brilliant signs and windmill all in beautiful lights. We found a pub just across the road to fill in 30 minutes. As Ian disappeared down to the toilette he noticed it said 'dunny' - we were in an Australian Pub and right over the road from the Moulin Rouge. The pub had VB stubbies, picture of Ayers Rock and signs saying 'wallabies' and lots of other Australian memorabilia.

Having composed ourselves after an arduous walk we went to the Moulin Rouge and were ushered into a huge cabaret room. Alison was a little offended to have to pay more money to put our coats in clock room when we had already paid a large amount of money to attend the show. We were escorted to our seats and they were right up front. Ian's was right up against the stage, Alison one back. We were seated with Japanese on one side and Spanish on the other so gave up trying to chat to others at our table. We talked to ourselves during the meal as two cabaret singers provided quiet entertainment. Then the show started and it was the most dazzling and professional show we have ever seen and went for almost 2 hours. The girls were extremely glamorous and the costumes brilliant. There were four segments with the dancers and in between some great support acts (Jugglers, acrobats and the such). For one act a huge tank of water came up from the stage and had huge snakes swimming in it and all lit up. A girl dived in and swam and wrestled with the snakes for several minutes. Our seats were so close we could have reached out and touched them. We purchased a program as a souvenir which still listed Claire McDonnel from Alice Springs who although was not dancing has recently completed a 6 month stint with the company. Getting home loomed as a problem but we were lucky enough to hail a cab after 10 minutes which got us home by midnight.

Next morning we were tired but had no need to rush due to a late flight booked to Norwich, England. We took the whole morning to pack and catch a cab to the airport (another €50!) and find our gate.

Paris was another great place that we felt we did not have enough time to fully appreciate it, but a definite place to return to. Mind you the train strike really did reduce what we could see.

We needed to travel back into mainland Greece a day earlier than planned to enable us to catch our plane to Paris. We departed from Syros via the 4pm ferry and arrived in Athens around 9pm. Although we planned to catch the metro into the city and find a room it was getting late so we decided to find one near the ferry terminal which was some 30 km out of Athens. We walked over the bridge and were not really that comfortable in this district. It was a bit sleazy but the first reasonable looking accommodation house we came across offered us a room for 50 euros so we decided to take it. The man was as suspicious of Ian as he was of him (asking Ian if I was his wife) but eventually we took the room. It was pretty basic and smelt very strongly of stale cigarette smoke but we survived the night. Everyone seems to smoke in Europe. Even chefs are holding a fag while preparing the meal - will have to get the EHO onto that one.

Next morning we set off on the rail to the city mindful that we had to catch the plane to Paris at 5pm so had limited time to discover Athens. Initial feelings of the place were that we weren't really enthusiastic about discovering it anyway. We got off at a station where we had to change trains for the airport and thought 'oh well it looks ok and there might be something to see, so lets lock our bags at the station and have a wander. We didn't even get out of the station before we found a major display where they had found old Roman sewerage channels under the station when renovating it for the Olympics in 2004 and then some more interesting displays up the road. Alison asks the ticket box lady 'how much to go in?' and she replies '4 euros or 12 if you want to see the Parthenon'. 'The Parthenon' we both said with surprise, 'is that nearby?' 'Oh yes, look up there'. There on top of the nearby Acropolis (sacred hill) sat the magnificent Parthenon, so off we went. On reaching the Acropolis we were suddenly confronted with hundreds of tourists queuing to go up to see the Parthenon (this was our first experience of huge crowds of tourists.) One could only imagine what it was like in high season!!! There is a huge project under way here to relocate the museum to a new site at the base of the Acropolis by lifting marble sculptures, some weighing 2.5 tons. The view from the Parthenon, perched up above Athens, is beautiful giving views over the huge city.
We found an Irish Pub on the way back to the station and immediately enjoyed having a discussion with an English speaking person so much we gave her a nice tip and enjoyed a great Irish lunch. The lady was very chatty and told us that every time they go digging in this area to build something new, they dig up some old relic from the Roman era, and the general view was just don't tell anyone and cover it up otherwise there is enormous discussion over desecration of old Roman sites - reminded us of sacred sites back home.

Anyway, we had a good time in the end and felt like we had seen something extra we hadn't planned for.

We stepped off the plane at Athens and quickly caught the train to the city centre to collect the tickets for the ferry to the island at 5pm. Jumping on an empty train we carefully packed our suitcases in a rack and took nice seats about 5 metres away, but before too many stations the train was absolutely packed and our cases out of sight. When we both were becoming worried we were not going to be able to get off at Athens with cases in time, a lady sitting nearby and obviously listening to our concerns,said 'no problem, they all get off here', so we had time to snaffle the bags and follow them off. Athens was kaos, no traffic lights and cars, mopeds and people darting everywhere. Tickets in hand we dragged our bags back to the rail to get to the ferry. We reached the ferry with half an hour to spare and immediately felt comfortable, as it was the same type of boat as the one we had travelled to Tasmania on some years ago. Alison who suffers from sea sickness took 2 Kwells tablets and spent the next 3 hours spaced out! Didn't feel sick though so that was good!
On arrival at Syros we were met by George & Aria who look after the house in which we were staying. They drove us around to the other side of the island and there was this lovely villa on the side of the hill directly overlooking the sea. Although it was too dark to appreciate the sea, the inside of the house was very Mediterranean and comfortable. Kitchen,dining and sunken lounge on ground floor and two bedrooms upstairs. They left us and we were not long out of bed. Next morning we flung the doors open to gaze around at the spectacular view of the barren but beautiful island in the middle of the Aegean sea. Other Greek Islands were visible on the horizon. We had been told that a regular bus service was available just around the corner and so set off to catch the 11am bus back into town (where the ferry had left us). We were starving by the time we reached town and quickly found a Greek Restaurant (easy as they were all Greek). Then ordered beer, fish and salad. Easy enough we thought,why make things complicated! Well the beer was greek 'Mythos' and ok, the salad or 'salata' was also ok, but the fish was a bowl of little fish with heads, tails and guts, just like the blue bait Ian had used on his hook when fishing as a kid back in Geelong. The next day the weather was not so good - blowing a gale so we stayed inside and Ian read his first novel for many many years! Over the next few days the weather improved and we had many lovely walks around the island which is a very Greek orientated place (as against tourist orientated) with a large number of apartments all locked up for winter now. We imagined this place a real lively place during those periods and we understood it to be a place where Greek people like to visit. Our attempts at hiring a car ended in despair and when we gathered that there was no clear insurance cover over the vehicle that would cover us for a low level of liability in case of an accident. We were backing off but when the car was going to come with no fuel , Ian had no option but to turn around and hand them back the keys. We thought even better to walk away without our 50 euros than take the risk, but eventually as we stood there he flicked a fifty euro note back over the counter and we walked away happy. No car but the bus service was good anyway. Tuesday we walked right up back of town to mountain top through all the winding streets and were amazed at the Syros residential area that has been built up the mountain side over many years. Lots of very old houses being modernised and rebuilt and a place to walk with caution as at any moment another moped would speed around the corner and scare the hell out of you.
Our language barriers here were hardest of all but we did some home cooking after the fish ordeal and as the villa was great we had a nice rest by the sea for a few days. We did find another restaurant later in our stay and enjoyed a couple of meals there. They had some interesting things on the menu including giant bees!
Today just entering this blog in internet cafe over the road from ferry terminal as we wait for 4pm ferry back to Athens for quick look around tomorrow then onto Paris.

Arriving at Berlin, perhaps the many shifts of recent weeks was starting to catch up with us. We were tired and certainly looking for a sleep in. We found Hotel room easy after booking it via WOTIF.com It surpassed our expectations. Berlin was too exciting a city to stay in our room for long!
We picked ourselves up next morning and went for it. A city just packed full of marvellous history (well much of it pretty tragic) but so interesting and the contempory influences were just wonderful. We found a city bus and were headed for the History Museum. Unfortunately too many things distracted us and finally got to the museum about 2pm. It was too late to get around it by 6pm when we were asked to leave and Ian continually complained that he only got up to the invasion of Poland! Next day Alison ruled out Ian on going back to the History Museum and we soon became involved in the Check Point Charlie, Holocaust Memorial, Gestapo headquarters and Brandenburg Gate etc etc. We hit bed late again really exhaused and our heads swimming with history.
We both agreed Berlin was a must to visit again!

We arrived by train about 2pm at Magdenburg train station and had to kill a couple of hours until the hosts arrive. We had been on many train trips in Europe but did not enjoy this one. There was a piercing noise the whole way and for once a ticket inspector did not come along which meant we could not bring it to the attention of anyone who could maybe do something about it! There also seemed to be a lot of passengers who walked back and forth the whole way - maybe looking for a solution to the noise. We were very happy to got off this one. Outside, we found a modern shopping centre and slipped into front seats to watch the judging of Mr & Miss Magdenburg. We curiously wondered if this would have been sanctioned before unification! Girls parading in bikinis and boys in their speedos!
We meet up with Michael & Kirsten and they only had a work van with one bench seat in front so Micheal had to catch the train home. We all got to their home which wasn't far away and sat down to another well prepared German meal. We shared a glance and thought oh, here we go again!
They had just got out of the German rent trap and were buying their own home. It was nice, on four levels and then we learnt we had been given their double bed. They announced they were going up to the third and fourth floors, but not the same floors. It seemed he snored so that was a big joke for the next few days.
Next day Kirsten took us around Magdenburg and although we didn't have much idea of what to expect at this place it turned out to be another very interesting stop. Magdeburg is a medium sized city in the former East Germany and was literally flattened in WWII. Michael's grandmother remembers it burning. The city profile reflected therefore remnants of the past and some rebuilt beautiful old churches and government buildings, but also the communist influences which were bland, and the modern and ultra modern. One significant building we were shown was painted bright pink and although structurally as sound as any other, has the surrounds to windows and doors painted with crooked lines. This was irritating to our hosts as being German they generally like things perfect!
We suggested a restaurant meal for us to thank them (anything to avoid more sausage) and spent a very pleasant night with them. We were surprised to find out that our hosts were younger than us. It seems they have had a hard struggle with life living through a country divided and their accounts of the cold war are not pleasant. They were honest and happy to talk openly and we appreciated their hospitality and hope to host them in Alice Springs in 2009.

Stepping off the train from Frankfurt at Goslar train station, we heard Hartmut calling out to us. Also close behind him was his wike Dorena and dog Sissy. Earlier this year we had hosted them in Alice Springs, and travelled to Ayers Rock with them and we had got on so well and had much fun. Although we struggled with language, our German - Australian dictionary helped with interpreting. As they both grew up in the former East Germany they were made learn Russian at school. After reunification they dropped the Russian like a hot potato and started learning English, so were very happy to have us to practice on. They took us to their house, different to others again. It had four levels and three separate families in it, including an area for their call centre business. A small man-made river was at the end of their back yard and separated them from their neighbours at the back. Doreena had prepared a huge German meal (which we were becoming slowly accustomed to, although much discussion between us on how it sat with Alison's food principals! but did not seem to transfer into overweight population, who appear to be more active than Aussies. We saw some very old people walking the hills and riding bicycles throughout Germany). The night ended with Hartmut in charge showing video and digital photos on a large screen of their recent Australian holiday. And of course we were in it!
We had by the next day developed colds and felt rather miserable, but Hartmut wouldn't hear of it. He is such a character as he struggles to master the Queen's English and managed to keep us entertained despite the colds and proudly showed us his country over the next two days. And what a beautiful one it is. Goslar is relatively small and was therefore fortunate enough to be left unscathed from WWII bombs. It now promotes itself as being virtually the same as it was around 500 years ago. The Kaiser palace sits on the highest ground and the whole old city surrounded by a wall. Lanes all cobblestone.
On the last day Hartmut could not put off work any longer to be with us, so we just walked around Goslar one more time, and loved it. We took a horse and buggy ride and it seemed like we were back several hundred years in time.
That night we exchanged gifts and well wishes and wondered if we would ever meet up again. Ian presented Hartmut with his cat's scarf, which had been the subject of much fun and had been inseperable from Ian ever since the Grand Final day before we left. But Ian had to apologise for the burnt bit one end where a disgruntled Port Adelaide supported put a match to it on Grand Final Day.

Frankfurt is the financial centre of Germany and has the second biggest airport in the world. We had witnessed this briefly on our trip over, landing at Frankfurt before changing flights for Dresden. It is so big we had a bus take us to our plane over a 10 minute trip!

As we followed our host's directions from Frankfurt main station (also pretty large!) to parliamentplatz station, we were coping well. Already we have on several occasions had time to understand the German rail system, with S & U lines from the main station. But when we hit the street from parliamentplatz station we went wrong and were lost at night! We retraced our steps to the station and started again. Was it another matter of German/English interpretation on words! Anyway it worked out and we stumbled down the right street this time and there on top of a large block of units was our apartment. The place had a Gothic look to it, especially at night. Lugging cases up five stories was testing, and the neighbour gave us the key with a smile but absolutely no English. The apartment was tiny, one living room with small balcony, kitchenette and bathroom. Well over 90% of Frankfurt residents rent their places as it is much too dear to purchase, and in equivalant terms the rent on this place in Australia would be still around $200 per week. Regine, the host who had escaped to Hamburg for a few days was a book seller and the apartment was lined wall to wall with books! We hosted Regine in Australia and had a nice time with her, and although it would have been great to see her again due to the small size of her apartment it was better she left us to it as we were falling over each other as it was. We telephoned her to let her know we have arrived ok (well sort of) and she recommended a Greek restaurent around the corner.
We tidied up and left for the Greek Resuarant and when we entered there was a rowdy group sitting around the bar and no-on else in the place. Waiter had no idea of what we were asking him, but eventually another man came over and assisted us to order. We had a nice meal and then were approached for a challenge. Gain free drinks if we could pick a fault in each of three Greek wall paintings. We did so sucessfully with a little help here and there and then joined them at the bar. The Fankfurt soccer side had just beaten some side after many years of failure and so they we elated. Ian managed to convey that we too knew how it felt to have our footy side win after many years not winning!And so an hour of chat and fun was had.
Next day was Sunday and we went into Frankfurt to catch the city tour bus, but a Marathon was taking place through Frankfurt and the bus was cancelled. Next day a bus /boat tour to the Rhine. Cable Cars had stopped the day before and our tour guide said in a week or two the area would be shut down for winter. So we just slipped through in time, and the bus was only half full, so no crowds thankyou!
The tour guide was excellent and we all had lunch together at a local Rhine pub, which was a good chance to make friends with some American women (Mother & Daughter) also on the tour. They sat with us the rest of the tour and were good company.The next was the boat section of the tour down past many medieval castles, and although the day was overcast the photos seemed to come out surprisingly well.

Australia is 20 times bigger than Germany but only approx 25% the population. And Germany has a very well distributed poulation, no real mega cities and all over it is so green and productive looking. Dairy farms everywhere. People we meet, say' oh from Australia, it is so big!'. They don't however have generally a handle on how much desert is here though (This is Ian's que for talking about aims of Desert Knowledge!)

Arrival at Sierre in Switzerland was again by train and arrived after dark. We were met by two ladies ,one our host Rosy and the other Josie, a cousin who came along to help interpret! We purchased some food for dinner and then were driven up the mountainside to Crans Montana. Crans Montana was half way up the mountain and a place well known for its international golf course and in the snow season skying. It was host to the winter olympics in the 90's.
The Chalet was incredible! Four levels, Rosy & Josie on the ground level and us above. All centrally heated.

The next morning reminded Ian of how he first saw Uluru. On a school excursion the bus broke down and arriving late was amazed to step out the next morning and there was the magnificant rock! We stepped out the next morning onto our balcony and there was the Swiss Alps, rising up on the left and right to around 4,500metres. We had to pinch ourselves to know we were really here.

The ladies, both Italian, expected us up by 10am and from there we went with them and their four little dogs up a mountain for a walk. Up and up we went to around 2000 meters and leaving the car walked along a winding track for half an hour or so. It was simply stunning scenery. Sunny with snow covered peaks rising up through the sky opposite us. 'The Materhorn!' Rosy points.

Josie had a long and sucessful career in Pan American airlines, has travelled the world and speaks english fluently. Ian is still chilled by the failed war escape stories she had told Ian as they walked along those tracks. But she is 70ish and her hip was playing up and eventually Rosy notioned to wait at rest point and she returned to the car with the dogs. When Rosy finally appeared in her car there was a long discussion between the ladies in italian. Then Josie turns to us and says 'we have lost two dogs".
We jumped in the car and return to the start point of the walk and eventually one dog greets us from the forrest. Then the phone rings, long conversation in French and a women has located the other dog and rung the number on his collar. Off again only to be stopped by some very official men who were shutting the mountain down to allow a car race to come up in 15 minutes. We raced around, found the woman caller, collected the dog and just got down in time for them to close the mountain. One racing official had his stopwatch on us. If we had not got out in time we would have had to wait on the mountain for 5 hours! This deserved an afternoon nap and then we shouted the two lovely ladies to dinner at a local restuarant to celebrate a great day in a fantastic place.

Next day we walked around Crans Montana, did some shopping and posted the kids in Australia their Xmas gifts to lighten our load. Then on returned Josie calls out Mrs Clay, come to dinner; Italian Style. So we shared some local vino and a marvellous cooked meal by two Italian chefs. Here we learned that Rosie,who is still hesitant on coming to Australia next year, speaks Italian & French and her husband several more, probably because of his practice as a corporate lawyer. Josie's husband is a retired Hotel Chain manager. Another worthwhile home link exchange with some great people that also gave us some real insights into Europe.

Train travel at present in Germany was risky as a National Strike by drivers was being played out over more money. It was extremely hard for us to keep updated because of the language but we realised there was a problem as newspapers and TV's kept flashing 'Bahn Strieken!!'. A bahn was German for train and the rest obvious, and obviously meant it was not over. But our train was ok again and off we went.
We left Germany under cold and snowy conditions, were soon passing through similar conditions in Austria and then after passing under a significant mountain range came out the other side and it was sunny and dry. We were in Italy in a couple of hours and the weather sunny again.

We realised this time of year may be difficult weather wise but so far we kept skipping away just as it was getting cold.

Treviso station was very congested, and a lack of elevators made it difficult to move the baggage. As Ian came struggling out with the cases, a woman approached him 'Is that you Ian?' - her cue was a black case and a red case and this was Monia our host. Luca arrived straight after and we were next in their car and driving throught the worst traffic jam imaginable. Luca was honking others , but this is par for the cause for driving in Italy.

We went to their tiny flat,which they had kindly vacated for us by moving temporarily to her parents but not before they cooked us pasta and showed us around Treviso at night. We were intoduced to a draining cupboard above the sink which is used instead of the little drainers we use - and a great idea as you can shut the door and hide the dishes! It was the Sunday night after an annual wine fest and there were people everywhere partying in the streets. It was a treat to see Treviso at night as this town was based around a medieval Castle, with walls and moat intact.

Treviso was heavily bombed in WWII due to German soldier occupation and therefore had the same issues as many German towns in struggling to rebuild their old buildings.
Next day we slept in and then caught a bus to Treviso to get our bearings in our first Italian city. By the time we arrived it was all shut for the mandatory 12 to 2 lunch except a cafe which was a point of rest for us, however Ian had a near tragedy in the toilet with no paper. When the town returned to normal we found an internet cafe and organised the next day trip to Venice.
We departed early next day, all rested up and ready to see Venice! The first sight of Venice from the train was marvellous and much bigger than we thought. It looked a bit like Prague with water we both thought, and straight away we agreed we would try not to get lost as much as we did in Prague with tiny alleys criss-crossing everywhere. But the layout of Venice was different and it was easy to work your way back through expensive shops and quaint bridges to the main canal and jump back on the ferry boats. The gondalas were very expensive so we used public boats and took photos of others who were happy to spend the money. We booked in for dinner/live show that night, meaning a late return home. Venice was spectacular and many photos were taken. First time either of us had confronted real beggars and were both shocked.
Lots of walking and were both tired so arrival at dinner venue was welcome. They gave us local wine and finger food and when the characters in the play mixed in with us for a chat prior to its commencement Ian was overhead talking. A dignified gent thought Ian said he was from somewhere else, 'No Alice Springs in Australia' he reiterated. Chat continued, until Alison feeling a bit left out at this stage, walked over and announced herself as Mrs Alice Springs. All laughed and the chat continued. The man turned out to be the playwright and was visiting to see how the show was going. He was from Wimbleton in England. Eventuially we were ushered into the play theatre. The play had two Australians in it and depicted the history of Venice and was great.
After the play the man came over and said - 'and how did Mr & Mrs Alice Springs enjoy that?'

We departed and arrived home in Treviso late to our door in a taxi.

Driving in Munich was frustrating! Cars swapping lanes and coming up very close on all sides. One wrong move or even the thought of it prompted a 'honk' or series of 'honks'. Not knowing exactly where the Europe Car drop off was a problem but driving around a bit sorted that out. The man gave a thumbs up meaning the car was ok so off we took to our room, which was within a stroll as we had planned. So far Munich did not appeal to us, or at least this part of it. The lift to our room only took one person plus case and the room was not much bigger. They certainly know how to make use of small spaces in Europe. We dropped things and headed out for dinner. An Italian restaurant appealed to us just down the road and the chef was a very short man from Sardinia who cooked a mean Lasagna. We were much earlier than his regulars so he chatted with us for a while and gave us some tips for Italy. We left the room early next morning for the railway station for the next part of our journey and had to skip our included buffet breakfast!